A federal high court in Abuja has barred the Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from accessing the party’s national secretariat, escalating the ongoing leadership crisis within the opposition party.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who delivered the judgment on Monday, ruled in favour of PDP members loyal to Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in a suit seeking to stop the Turaki group from operating from the party’s headquarters.
The court further directed security agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), to ensure that the Wike-backed faction is granted access to and allowed to operate from the PDP national secretariat.
At the centre of the dispute is the PDP national convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, which produced the Turaki-led leadership. Justice Abdulmalik held that the convention was conducted in violation of existing court orders, describing the exercise as invalid and without legal effect.
She added that the proceedings amounted to a nullity, citing breaches of section 287(3) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) and provisions of the PDP constitution.
The judge also condemned the expulsion of Wike and his allies during the convention, describing it as a direct affront to judicial authority and democratic norms.
“I considered the expulsion of the members of the plaintiffs as not only an affront to the subsisting judgement, but also a direct assault on a democratic and principled society,” the judge said.
“All proceedings, resolutions and decisions taken at the said convention, including the suspension of members of the first plaintiff, were unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void, and of no effect.”
The PDP secretariat in Abuja had earlier witnessed chaos on November 18, 2025, when supporters of rival factions clashed over control of the Wadata Plaza complex in Wuse Zone 5.
The legal battle was triggered by a suit filed by the Wike-aligned faction, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, the then acting national chairman, and Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary, who asked the court to rein in the Turaki-led group.
In their application, the plaintiffs sought orders restraining the Turaki faction from parading itself as the party’s leadership and preventing security agencies from granting them access to the party’s headquarters.
They also urged the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting any alternative address submitted by the Turaki-led leadership as the official PDP office address.
Further reliefs included an injunction restraining members of the Turaki-led group from presenting themselves as representatives of the PDP in any capacity.
Justice Abdulmalik had earlier issued an interim ex parte order maintaining the status quo pending the determination of the substantive case.
Following the judgment, the Turaki-led faction headed to the Court of Appeal to challenge the ruling and also sought a stay of proceedings pending the outcome of their appeal.
They also filed a motion asking the trial judge to withdraw from the case, alleging bias.
